Is Will Ospreay headed to WWE or AEW?
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Will Ospreay is set to become the hottest free agent in pro wrestling when his deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling expires in early 2024.
The British wrestler made his debut for NJPW in 2016 and since then he's made a name for himself as one of the best wrestlers in the world, despite never being signed to WWE or AEW.
With his time in NJPW coming to an end, Ospreay is being courted by both WWE and AEW, as well as Impact Wrestling, who has just announced a new era for the company with the return to its former TNA name.
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Ospreay is reported to have hired the services of prominent agent Barry Bloom, who works with names including Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, to represent him in contract negotiations.
For many fans who are only familiar with WWE and AEW, Ospreay was wrestling's best-kept secret for many years.
Though he had appeared for Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor in the past, Ospreay's best work was limited to NJPW and British indies such as Revolution Pro Wrestling.
But AEW's first Forbidden Door event in 2022 exposed Ospreay to a wider audience when he defeated Orange Cassidy.
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A year later, Ospreay's stock rose further thanks to his incredible match with Kenny Omega, the second in their series that had started at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
Ospreay would then face Chris Jericho at AEW's massive All In show at Wembley Stadium, an event so important that he would even commemorate it with his first tattoo.
Though many fans may assume Ospreay signing with AEW is inevitable, the 30-year-old is said to be weighing his options.
Ospreay is also reported to have changed his stance on not wanting to leave the UK for the US, meaning WWE is now more on the table for him than ever before. There is also the possibility that WWE could use him as the face of their future NXT Europe brand, which would allow him to continue living in the UK.
It is also possible that Ospreay could sign with Impact Wrestling, which will be back to its TNA name in January 2024. Ospreay just wrestled at Impact's Bound For Glory show this month and is currently part of their UK Invasion tour.
Ospreay grew up as a huge fan of TNA, and Impact President Scott D’Amore recently stated that he could be the face of the company's upcoming rebrand.
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D’Amore told Press Pass with Tom Hannifan: "I don’t know where Will Ospreay’s gonna end up, but there’s certainly a seat at the table here and a meaningful one where he could be at the center of a lot of that advancement and change that we talked about."
However, although Impact and WWE would probably do anything to land Ospreay, AEW still seems the most likely option for him.
Ospreay is now well-known to AEW fans and has been featured on AEW television. Plus, if he really doesn't want to relocate, he could work a deal similar to the one PAC has, which still allows him to live in the UK.
While it's impossible to predict where Ospreay will end up one thing's for sure — Ospreay is about to become an even bigger star in pro wrestling with a huge bank account to match.
Catch AEW Dynamite live every Thursday at 1am in the UK and Rampage every Saturday at 3am on FITE with an AEW Plus subscription. US customers can also watch Dynamite on TBS and Rampage on TNT, and in the UK, Dynamite repeats air on ITV4.
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